The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Indoor Stadium to sport new look

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 06, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Indoor Stadium to sport new look

V V Subrahmanyam

SAAP decides to spruce it up with new flooring and an aesthetic roof to host the World Military Games in October

HYDERABAD: Fateh Maidan Indoor Stadium, the hub of indoor sports activity for many years, will have a new look with the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) deciding to spruce it up with new flooring and an aesthetic roof to host the World Military Games in October.

P.Chinnappa Reddy, Technical Advisor to the State Government (Sports & Physical Education), said a Rs.6.5-crore budget was submitted to the Union Defence Ministry for upgradation of the existing infrastructure.

"We have to match the facilities at Lal Bahadur Stadium with those of the Gachibowli Sports Complex," he pointed out. This also meant that the stadium, both outdoor and indoor, would be closed for all sporting activity for at least three months soon to take digging work and construction of new rooms.

Venues inspected

Top police, Fire Services and Defence Ministry officials inspected both the venues to take stock of the security measures to be taken up for the games. Closed circuit cameras at vantage positions at all venues and a possibility of closing the approach routes for all other than officials and athletes is being considered.

A final blueprint of the security measures to be put in place will be ready within the next four weeks. Prof. Reddy saw no issue in the defence authorities releasing the budget in parts. "We should be getting the funds as and when the assigned works get over within the deadline," he said.

Big boon

The Games Village at Gachibowli Complex too will get ready on time to accommodate about 2,000 athletes. "This village is a big boon for sports as the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has plans to start a sports training centre with hostel facility," he said.

SAAP too is aiming to come out with a comprehensive plan to launch its delayed `Centre of Excellence' at Gachibowli to ensure maximum utilisation of the world-class sports infrastructure.

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